Cat Tracks
Spring Shadows Elementary Wildcats Staff Newsletter
April 1 - 6, 2019
2nd Grade Learning Field Lesson @ Arboretum
Our Vision
Our Mission
Core Beliefs
- Each student has unique intellectual, emotional, social, and physical qualities.
- We embrace a child’s individual values, interests, and personalities.
- Parents are confident in their child’s social and intellectual educational growth.
- Educators lead their craft by preparing learners in our fast changing world
Living our Core Beliefs!
We run as ONE!
Reviewing Vocabulary
2nd Arboretum Field Trip
4th/5th Learning Buddies
5th Boys in Stem
Timelines
Awards Ceremonies
5th Grade Field Learning Tour of Science Museum
Interactive Learning in Action
Hands on Learning- 2nd Grade
Principal's Message
April is here! We kick off our week with something I like to call Praise Rounds! It's a twist on the Instructional Round where the ILT will leave you notes of praise. Our praise will be specific focusing ont he 3 areas below! We can't wait to see what your students are doing!
1). Expectations- (TTESS 2.1: Achieving Expectations) seeing teachers embrace student independence vs. dependence as the teacher empowers students rather than controls students. Here's what it looks like at distinguished:
- Provides opportunities for students to establish high academic and social emotional expectations for themselves.
- Persists with the lesson until there is evidence that all students demonstrate mastery of the objective.
- Provides opportunities for students to self monitor and self-correct mistakes.
- Systematically enables students to set goals for themselves and monitor their progress over time.
2.) Environment (TTESS 3.1)- Displays of data walls, student work, student writing, and anchor charts are imperative to support student learning. Now, think: What learning needs is the environment set up to facilitate? As we move towards greater student agency- what needs to be considered to facilitate the learner in communicating, discussing, sharing, or debating? This is what it looks like at distinguished:
- Establishes and uses effective routines, transitions and procedures that primarily rely on student leadership and responsibility.
- Students take primary leadership and responsibility for managing student groups, supplies, and/or equipment.
- The classroom is safe and thoughtfully designed to engage, challenge and inspire students to participate in high level learning beyond the learning objectives.
3) Opportunities- (T-TESS 1.4) Now that we have our foundation, it's important to recognize the difference between work and learning opportunity. A learning opportunity invites all students to the learning, have a low threshold for entry and a high ceiling so that learners can take themselves as fast as they wish. (Proficiency scales) Such opportunities provide students with the chance to apply their skills and knowledge in novel contexts even as they acquire new understandings. Powerful learning opportunities don't feel merely like doing work for the teacher but have their own worth that students readily perceive. This is what it looks like at distinguished:
- Opportunities for students to generate questions that lead to further inquiry and promote complex, higher order thinking, problem solving and real-world application
- Instructional groups based on the needs of all students, and allows for students to take ownership of group and individual accountability.
- The ability for all students to set goals, reflect on, evaluate and hold each other accountable within instructional groups.
- Activities, resources, technology and instructional materials that are all aligned to instructional purposes, are varied and appropriate to ability levels of students and actively engage them in ownership of their learning.
Lastly, don't forget we have our Staying Connected Visit with Superintendent Scott Muri on Wednesday in the library at 2:45. Please be sharp! We also have our pep rally on Friday! Let's actively monitor and cheer on our children!
With love, respect, and admiration,
Rachel Martinez
Calendar
Monday, April 1, 2019:
3rd Grade Extended Planning
Group 1
- 5th Grade attends Science Planning
- 8:00-10:00 ILT
- 2:45-4:00 Team Leader
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
5th Grade Extended Planning
Group 2
- 4th Grade attends Math Planning
- 2:30-4:00 Opportunity Culture Meeting
- 3:00-4:00 Afterschool
- 3:30-5:00 3rd & 4th Grade Reading Intervention Plan
Wednesday, April 3, 2019
4th Grade Extended Planning
Group 3
- 3rd Grade attends Math Planning
- 2:45-4:00 Dr. Muri Staying Connected
Thursday, April 4, 2019
PLC Thursday
Group 4
- STAAR Training during PLC's (Conference Room)
8:00 1st Grade
10:00 2nd Grade
11:00 4th Grade
12:30 3rd Grade
1:30 5th Grade
Special Education and support staff join a grade level team. - 3:00-4:00 After school
Friday, April 5, 2019
Group 5
- Spiral Day
- 1:30 STAAR Pep Rally
- 3:00-4:00 STAAR Make-up Training (Conference Room)
Library News
I am out on Monday for two meetings - Please don't send students to the library!
March Madness Week 1 - Results
Team Zetino left Team Guykens in the dust 3,216 to zero!
Team Lee’s outshined Ms Hills 1440 to 20!
Team Garcia was ecstatic then they bypassed Team Shankar 941 to 822!
Team Gomez by passed Team Cabrera 2000 to 208
Even with a great try SSE Admin could not topple Team Klauer who won 4,992 to 2690!
Team Radich put a fight but Team Alvarez won 2,340 to 1203.
Team Hudman glided to a victory over Team Perez without a fight - 1,091 to 0 (Late score 1711)
Team Urrutia won the battle with Team Dortch 1,900 to 1,183
Team Barron blazed to victory over Team Campos & Team Meza 2,107 to 210!
Team Mendoza advanced in front of Team Vargas 2300 to 1199!
Team Almaguer edged ahead of Team Castaneda 960 to 775!
Team Carrabba slide ahead of Team Keyim 1852 to 99!
Team Denson sped pass Team Gutierrez 3,515 to 777!
Team Parada secured a victory with no fight by Team Calkins winning 4,850 to zero!
1,000,000 Minute Goal Update
SSE Readers now have 791,851 -Come on we are getting closer to 1 million!!
Current Ranking
Top Grade Levels.......... ....Top Classes
2nd Grade 198,868............ 1st Ms Zetino with 63,868
1st Grade 160,522............. 2nd Ms Barron with 61,327
5th Grade 138,548 .............3rd Ms Parada with 58,334
4th Grade 107,157 .............4th Ms Urrutia with 52,513
3rd Grade 95,348................5th Ms Alvarez with50,174
Kinder 81,688 .................... 6th Ms Moreno with 47,199
Rank and Minutes by Classrooms
5th Grade Readers - Parada (58,334), Keyim (39,394) Denson (33,399) Calkins (7,421)
4th Grade Readers -Shankar 31,363), Perez (26,684), Mendoza (19,924), Vargas (15,531), Hill (12,136), Dortch (8519)
3rd Grade Readers - Salazar (36,355) , Klauer (32,261), Lee (15.945) Carrabba (10,787)
2nd Grade Readers Zetino (63,868), Urrutia (52,513), Alvarez (50,174), Hudman (11,907), Gutierrez (11,535), Radich (8,871)
1st Grade Readers- Barron (61,327), Gomez (36,791) , Castaneda (32,220), Garcia (12,809) Espejo (11,936), Brown (5,466).
Kinder Readers - Moreno (47,199), Almaguer (20,507), Cabrera (9,190), Guykens (3,357) Campos (1,435)
Thanks again for your support!
Ann : )
Shout Outs
UH Support
Popcorn Day!
Blessings in a Backpack Gala @ Bowl & Barrel
Texas Council of Women's School Executives
More Timelines
Smiles from our Wildcats
Remember to Sign Up for Sunshine and PTA!
Join Sunshine & PTA for $30 (certified staff) & $25 (non-certified staff). You can pay cash or check to Mrs. Berryman or Mrs. Gentry. Checks can be made out to Spring Shadows Elementary.
We are trying to get 100% participation in Sunshine & PTA!
When you join, you get an SSE Unstoppable T-Shirt, 5 Jeans Passes, 4 Late Arrival Passes, and 4 Leave Early Passes.
Please review the PDF attachment to see our SSE Sunshine Bylaws that the team revised and agreed upon at our last meeting. This will give you more information about Sunshine and what your dues are used for.
Sunshine SEMESTER JEANS PASS for $30
The one caveat is that your jeans are to be worn with a nice shirt and shoes (not a t-shirt).
See Mrs. Berryman or Mrs. Gentry to pay for your pass!
Spring Shadows Elementary
Email: rachel.martinez@springbranchisd.com
Website: https://cms.springbranchisd.com/sse2/
Location: 9725 Kempwood Drive, Houston, TX, United States
Phone: (713) 251-7100
Twitter: @twitter_rachelmartinez4